This blog is a collection of stories of time spent living and working in Kosovo for the United Nations and the changes I saw between 2001 and 2013. The information presented is personal opinion or links to news articles on Kosovo and its people.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Kosovo Celebrates 4th Anniversary of Declaration of Independence

The daily wonders of life with a baby often get in the way and I have been slightly remiss in my postings lately. I missed blogging about the 4th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Kosovo when it was ongoing. Most of my local friends lament about why the Kosovo politicians and their Western backers couldn't have waited a few more months until the weather was better but that didn't stop the indoor celebrations!

As usual, the day of celebration was met with articles about the challenges that remain ahead. Another major focus was the results of the Serb-led referendum in the North (where the result was pretty much predicted before voting even began) where Serbs rejected the Kosovo government. Even Vetevendosje's leader, Albin Kurti, did not seem to be in a festive mood this Independence Day stating that the only people that would be celebrating would be the government officials who became rich by "working as politicians during the day and as businessmen at night".

The really big news however is the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on two "key" issues: border management and Kosovo representation in international conferences. And with the agreement has come an increased chance that Serbia will begin European Union accession discussions as they have now been recommended for candidate status. Despite the proclamation by Kosovo PM, Haschim Thaci, that Serbia had recognized Kosovo's independence, the Head of the Serbian delegation for negotiations has declared that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

About Me

I have been living and working in Kosovo since 2001. My blog is a mixture of personal reflections on what it is like to live here (from an outsider’s point of view) and political developments. Information is from international news agencies or personal opinion and does not reflect the policies of the United Nations.